The Columbus Cottonmouths relied on the sparkling performance of Brandon Jaeger in net to grab a 3-1 win against the Fayetteville FireAntz.

Columbus was sparked by Chad Bennett, who registered one goal. Bennett scored 2:23 into the third period to make the score 2-1 Columbus. Ben OQuinn picked up the assist.

The Cottonmouths put 33 shots on net during the contest, more than the 18.5 they average per game.

Columbus also had goals scored by Andy Bathgate and Kyle Shapiro, who each put in one. More assists for Columbus came via Rusty Hafner, who had one and Tyler Henry, who had two.

Fayetteville excelled on the penalty kill, not giving up a single goal in three chances. The FireAntz's offense was helped by the efforts of their defensemen, who managed to put 17 shots on net during the game. Fayetteville's offense was clicking better than usual and put 39 shots on goal during the game, better than the 28.0 shots per game it averages.

The FireAntz were led by Graeme Strukoff, who scored the team's only goal. Strukoff scored 11:45 into the second period to make the score 1-1. Joseph Manno assisted on the tally.

Jaeger rejected 38 shots on goal for Columbus. The Cottonmouths ended with nine minutes in penalty time with two minors and one major. Parker Van Buskirk recorded 30 saves for Fayetteville. The FireAntz totaled 13 minutes in penalty time with four minors and one major and went 0-for-1 on the power play.